Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-03-25

twenty thousand wasps, and it does seem as
II every annoyance Of your life bred a
million. By the help Of God to-day I want
to show you the other side. The hornet is of
no usei o., yesl The naturalists tell US
they are very important in the worlds
economy; they kill spiders and they clear
the atmosphere; and | really believe God
sends the annOyances of our life upon
us to kill the spiders of the soul and to clear
the atmosphere Of our skies. These annoy
ances are sent on us, 1 think, TO wake us up
from our lethargy. There is nothing that
makes a man so lively as a nest of yellow
Jackets and think that these annoyances
are intended to persuade US of the fact that
this is not a world for US to stop ia III we
had bed of everything that was attractive
and soft and easy, what would we want Of
heavenl You think that the hollow tree
sends the hornet, or you think the devil sends
the hornet l want to correct your opinion.
The Lord sent the hornet
Then / also think these annoyances come
upon us to culture our patience. In the
gymnasium you find upright parallel bars
bars with holes over each other forpegs to be
put in. Then the gymnast takes peg in
each hand and he begins to climb one inch at
a time, or two inches, and, getting hisstrength
cultured, reaches after awhile the ceiling.
And it seems to me that these annoy
ances in life are a moral gymnasium, each
worry a peg by which we are to
climb higher and higher in Christian
attainments We all love to see patience,
but it cannot be cultured in fair weather 1t
is child of the storm. If you had everything
desirable and there was nothing more to get,
what would you want with patience2 The
only time to culture it is when you are slam
dered and cheated, and sick and half dead.
ooh" you say, "if l only had the circum-
stances OF some well-to-do man l would be
inv,tt NrNN NsNt,yr aier,f
were not for this water would SWIM" or,
81 could shoot this gun if it were not for the
caps" When you stand chin deep in annoy
anceS is the time for you to swim out toward
the great headlands Of Christian attainment,
and when your life is loaded to the muzzle
with repulsive annoyances- is the time
to draw the trigger Nothing but the furnace
will ever burn out of us the clinker and the
Stag. have formed this theory in regard to
small annoyances and vexations. 1t takes
Just so much trouble to fit us for usefulness
ana Tor heaven. The only question is
whether we shall take it in the bulk, or pull
verified and graduated. Here is one man
who takes it in the bulk. His back il
broken, or his eyesight put out, or some
the vast majority of people take the thing
piecemeal. Which way would you rather
have it, OF course in piecemeal. Better have
five aching teeth than one broken jaw. Better
ten fly-blisters than an amputation. Better
twenty squalls than one cyclone. There may
be difference of opinion as to a1opathy and
homeopathy but in this matter of trouble
l like homeopathic doses-small pellets of
annoyance rather than some knock down dose
of calamity. Instead Of the thunderbolt give
lis the hornet. If you have bank you would
a great deal rather that fifty men should come
in with checks less than a hundred dollars
than to have two depositors come in the same
day each wanting his ten thousand dollars.
In this latter case, YOU cough and look down
at the floor and up at the ceiling before you
look into the safe Now, my friends,
would you not rather have these small
drafts of annoyance on your bank OF faith
than some all-staggering demand upon your
endurancel l want to make you so strong,
that you will not surrender to small annoy
anceS. In the village of Hamein, tradition
says, there was an invasion Of rats, and these
small creatures almost devoured the town
and threatened the lives of the population,
and the story is that piper came out one
day and played a very sweet tune, and all
the vermin followed him-followed him to
the banks of the Weser and then he blew a
blast and they dropped in and disappeared
forever. OF course this is a fable but wish
l could on the sweet flute of the Gospel, draw
forth all the nibbling and burrowing annoy
ance of your life, and play them down into
depths forever. How many touches did the
artist give to his picture of "Cotopaxi," or his
Heart of the AndesN l suppose about 50,
600 touches. I hear the canvas saying:
"Why do you keep me trembling with
in one dash" 'No," says the artist II know
how to make a painting; it will take fifty
thousand of these touches" And want you,
my friends, to understand that it is these ten
thousand annoyanceS which; under God, are
making up the picture of your life, to be hung
atlast in the galleries of heaven, fit for angels
to look at. God knows how to make picture.
l go into a sculptor's studio, and see him
shaping a statue He has a chisel in one
hand and mallet in the other, and he gives
very gentle stroke-click, click, clickl
] say: "Why don't you strike harderN "Ohl"
he replies, that would shatter the statue.
can't do it that way; l must do it this way.
| So he works on, and after awhile the feat
ures come out, and everybody that en-
| tiers the studio is charmed and fascinated.
Well, Col has your soul under process OF de-
velopment, and it is the little annoyances and
vexations of life that are chiseling out your
immortal nature 1t is click, click, click!
wonder why some great providence does not
come, and with one stroke prepare you for
heaven. All, no; God says that is not the
way. And SO he keeps on by strokes Of little
vexations, until at last you shall be glad
spectacle for angels and for men. You know
| that large fortune may be spent i'll
small change, and a vast amount Of moral
character may go away in small depleUlon.
1t is the little troubles of life that are having
more effect upon you than great ones. A
swarm of locusts will kill grain field sooner
| than tine incursion of three OF four cattle
You say: "Since lost my child, since LOST
my property, have been different man.
But you. do not recognize the architec
ture OF little annoyances that are hewing, dig
ging,. cutting, shaping, splitting and in
terjoining your moral qualities One lucifel
match may send destruction through bloch
of storehouses Catharine de Medicis got hel
death from smelling a poisonous rose. Column
bus, by stopping and asking for piece o.
bread and drink Of water at a FRANCISCAN
convent, was led to the discovery Of a new
world. And there is an intimate connection
between trifes and immensities, between
uothings and everytaings.
Now, be careful to let none of those annoy
ances go through your soul unarraigned
Compel them to administer to your spiritua
wealth. The scratch of a sixpenny-n some
times produces lock- jaw, and the clip of {
most intinitesimal annoyance may damage yol
forever. Do not let any annoyance or per
plexity come across your soul without it
making you better.
Our National Government does not thinl
it belittling to put tax on pins, and tax OF
buckles, and tax on Shoes The individual
taxes do not amount to much, but in the ag
gregate to millions and millions of dollars
And / would have you, Oh Christian man
put high tariff on every annoyance anC
vexation that comes through your soul. Thi
might not amount to much in single cases, bu
in the aggregate it would be great revenueo
spiritual strength and satisfaction A be
can suck honey even out of q nettle; and
you have the grace Of God in your heart, yol
can get sweetness out of that which woul
otherwise irritate and annoy A returnec
missionary told me that a company of ad
ventlIrers rowing up the Ganges were Stun
to death by flies that infest that region a
certain seasons. / have seen the earth strewe
with the carcasses OF men slain by insect an
noyances. The only way to get prepared 70
the prpat trOublaS Of life IL tO connuer theC